Zorro's Revelation
by Paulsmum2001
Summary: Zorro reveals himself to Victoria and Alejandro. Reactions are not all that good. This has been revised.
1. Chapter 1

Zorro's Revelation

Revised version.

Victoria pulled Zorro into the library. Alejandro stood from where he had been writing at his desk. The man in black was resisting, but couldn't refuse. Alejandro smiled a little. A gentleman born and bred. The man had no chance against Victoria.

"You say you love me, you say it over and over and over again. I try to believe what you say is true, but is it? This will never, ever end. We will be apart forever, won't we? Pretty words…that's all they are. You should not be kissing me, you should not be promising things you cannot deliver," Victoria was saying. Her voice was rising. "Is that not true, Don Alejandro? He should not be leading me along this path."

Alejandro shifted uneasily. Victoria's temper was rising. Must she confront the man here, in his house? She was waiting for him to respond. Zorro glanced at him; the fear in his eyes made Alejandro draw breath. "I am the closest thing to her father, El Zorro. You should not be doing such things. If you wish to court her, you must be a proper gentleman."

"And what must a proper gentleman with a mask do, in this situation?"

"Zorro, you must know. A proper gentleman hides nothing from his prospective bride's guardian. The mask might just have to come off. Is it fair that she doesn't even know who her prospective husband is?" Alejandro saw the masked man flinch, and turn aside for a moment.

"The mask….it is a horrible barrier for us. It needs to come off, or we are finished. I love you, but I can no longer bear this masquerade party…" Victoria said. She froze for a moment. Did she really mean that?

"Do you mean that, Victoria?" Zorro's voice came out in a strangled whisper. She bit her lip and nodded.

Zorro reached behind his head, and with trembling fingers untied the knot that held the mask in place. The mask dropped to the floor, and Victoria's hand connected with Diego's pale cheek in a fierce slap.

Diego stood still, feeling the sting and not reacting. There was nothing to say. Nothing to do…

Alejandro watched in shock, as his son turned on his heel, cross the floor towards the mantel piece. No one spoke, no one had words. Diego kept his head, and pushed something in the mantel piece. A hidden door swung open, revealing a secret room. A room Alejandro had known of, but had forgotten. Alejandro held up a hand.

"Diego…."

His son didn't stop; he entered the room, and pulled a hidden switch. The door swung shut behind him. The library was as it had been before.

Alejandro shook himself and tried the mechanism. He had known of that room; he had shown his son years ago. The switch was stuck. Diego had probably wedged something against the mechanism. He had the intelligence and stubbornness for that kind of response.

"Felipe…" He touched the boy's arm to get his attention. The boy was in tears, silent drops running down his face. Felipe shook his head at Alejandro, and ran off towards the back door.

Felipe was distraught. How had this happened? Why had Diego left him behind? He had to get to the cave. He had a sense of dread that he couldn't shake. Victoria was an obsession of his friend; he couldn't get the hang of thinking of him as a father. If the obsession was gone, if Victoria had rejected him truly, what would it do to Diego?

Alejandro tried to think around the device. "Diego, can you hear me? I want to help you. I'm not angry or disappointed or ashamed. Nothing matters to me, except you and your safety. You are my son; I love you, I am proud of the man you are. Come on, I want to come in to you." He paused, and thumped the mechanism. The de la Vega temper strikes again.

"I will smash this fireplace apart if I have to. The trick with the switch is clever, but I don't think it will stand up to brute force," Alejandro yelled. He glanced back at Victoria.

Victoria stood very still. She had not moved from where she had been standing when she had struck Diego's face. Alejandro was worried for her.

"Victoria is in shock, Diego. She didn't mean what she did. She reacted from shock. She needs your help," Alejandro tried. He loved the woman, maybe that was the key to help him. "I have no notion of medicine. You've read so much, you know so much."

Victoria sighed and in a fluid motion sunk to the floor. Alejandro moved quickly and caught her before her head hit the tiles. He glanced back to the hidden door. Maybe Diego had left the cave, Alejandro remembered a back passageway. His father had built the cave and passageway as an emergency exit during the time of the hostile Indian attacks. In peace time, there was no need for emergency exits. So he had thought.

"Diego! I could do with some help here!" He shouted. He started to fan the unconscious woman. She sighed, and stiffened in his arms. She started sobbing, and it intensified into hysterics. Alejandro made soothing sounds, and wondered what to do. Diego would know what to do, he was always so clever.

He looked up at a slight sound. Diego sat next to him, dressed in normal clothes. He had a bottle of smelling salts, which he handed his father. Being taught how to care for women, Alejandro knew what to do with the smelling salts.

Victoria held Alejandro's hands as she breathed in the strong scent. She never looked at Diego. Alejandro decided he could deal with her after all, and helped her down the hall to a guest room. Maria, the housekeeper, took over the fussing and care, while Alejandro made his way back to his son.

Diego was sitting where he left him, on his knees on the tiles. He was staring into space, still holding the mask in his hands. Alejandro still had the smelling salts in one hand, and wondered if his son needed them also.

"Diego," he said softly. Touching his son's arm gently, he got no response from his silent boy. "Diego, I meant every word I said while you were in the cave. You will hear nothing from me until the right time. I am not angry, or ashamed. I am very very proud of you. I love you. You are my son. However, we have things to discuss. Many things."

Still no response. Alejandro came closer, to actually sit in front of his son. Placing his hands on Diego's arms firmly, he shook him gently. Tears had travelled down Diego's face, leaving trails. The tears were still coming. Alejandro wasn't sure what to do. His son seemed like he was in shock. He embraced him tightly.

"It will be alright, my son. Everything will be alright."

A sob escaped his son. Diego shook in Alejandro's arms. Another sob, and suddenly he was gasping for air, trying to say something.

"She…doesn't….she doesn't love me….she doesn't love me…" Diego sobbed. He started to rock in his father's arms. Alejandro realised the situation was getting progressively worse. This had been his reaction when he had lost his wife.

"It will be alright, Diego. She does not know what she thinks right now. Everyone is in shock. Everyone is in shock. It will be alright, my son."

Diego clung to his father's arm, as Alejandro helped him onto his feet. Felipe crept through the hidden door, and looked at Alejandro with relief. Felipe supported Diego on one side, and his father supported him on his other side. Diego could barely walk, and Alejandro remembered his grief when his wife died. He reacted the same way. If Victoria had died, and Diego had lost her that way, what would it have done to him? He really really did not want to know.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Alejandro had settled Diego down in his room, with Felipe to watch over him. Felipe had insisted in giving Diego one of his concoctions for nervous shock, and for once Felipe didn't get an argument. Diego had stopped talking altogether by that stage, and Felipe felt helpless in the face of the overwhelming shock.

Felipe signed, _It's much better that she knows now. The worst is over, she loves you. She will apologise in time_.

Diego sat there, ignoring the signs Felipe was making. The tea had made him drowsy, and he turned onto his right side to completely block him out. Felipe moved to the right side of the bed, to try to communicate again. Diego threw a pillow at him.

"Go…away," he growled.

_I'm not going anywhere, _Felipe signed. He moved back around to the other side of the bed, and waited until he was sure Diego was asleep. Then he picked up one of Diego's books, and started to read about Ancient Greek philosophy. He was going to sit with him until he came to his right mind, how ever long that took.

Victoria let herself be fussed over, and that in itself was a worry. Alejandro trusted that Felipe could watch over his son, after all they had obviously shared Zorro's secret for long enough, possibly dealing with a great deal of injury and sickness, things no one else had discovered. He went in to the young woman's room. Maria was sitting by the bed, clucking her tongue like an angry mother hen.

"What is happening here, my dear? What are you feeling?"

"Angry, so angry…." She sobbed. She clutched a pillow and tears had raced down her face. She was no longer crying, but her face was red and blotchy. Alejandro handed her his handkerchief and sat on a chair near the bed. She wiped her face, and felt a little better.

"My son is in the same way, Victoria," Alejandro murmured. "Is there no way forward?"

"Diego…he lied to me, to you, to everyone for years and years. He lied!"

"For our own good, probably…"

"He has played me for a fool, making me believe I loved a figment of my imagination, when all along it was only Diego."

"Zorro is still Zorro. He is also Diego. What Zorro did for everyone was not a lie, he really helped the people here. He really dealt with tyranny and injustice. What you feel in love with was real." Alejandro needed to be very patient. He wondered what it would be like if they finally worked out their issues and actually got married. Surely it would never be dull in their home! His grandchildren would be fire brands!

"Does he love me?"

"It would seem so. He removed the mask, at your request. His reward was not so nice, Victoria. He thinks _you_ do not love _him_. What is the case?" Alejandro said, calmly.

"He gave me this ring. Zorro asked me to marry him with this ring," Victoria whispered, handing the ring to Alejandro. It was his wife's ring. It would have recognised the ring anywhere, on anyone's finger.

"Maybe you should have come to me when that happened. I could have advised you, we could have talked this over rationally and…" Alejandro said, and realised it wasn't the time for "shoulds". But, they had obviously had a very passionate relationship, kissing already had been mentioned. He shook his head. What on earth had his son been thinking? Definitely not a way for a gentleman to behave. But his son needed his patience, and so did Victoria.

"I love you like a daughter already, Victoria. You are always welcome here, I would be proud to welcome you as Diego's wife. If there is anything I can say, or do…"

"Why isn't Diego in here, pleading his case?" Her eyes were on the door, wondering if Diego was going to enter on her words. She wasn't sure what she would say or do if that happened.

Alejandro glanced at her. "Diego is very unwell at the moment. Zorro is still a man, not a phantom. He is hurt deeply. This was altogether unplanned and unexpected. Your reaction was hardly encouraging for a young man in love as he is. He is not dealing with this well."

"Unwell?"

"When I lost his mother I was similarly unwell. For many weeks, that is what a broken heart does to some people."

"Broken heart?"

"Think about how we can all move forward, Victoria. We all need to help one another. I will help in any way I can. Whatever you need from me I will seek to provide. I will stand with you both. My son needs my protection and care, but so do you."

"I love him….I love him so much. I just can't think right now. Can you tell him I'm sorry for hitting him? Can you tell him I love him? I don't know what to think, I don't know what to do." She was wringing her hands. Alejandro almost preferred her rage to her despair. Victoria in tears was not a comfortable sight, given the great emotional strength of the woman.

Alejandro rose, patting her hand reassuringly. He went outside the room, and wondered if there was anywhere forward. They loved each other, but was that enough?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the morning, Alejandro took a deep breath and gathered a tray of coffee and bread rolls. Taking in into Diego's room, he noticed that Felipe had slept on the chair near the bed, with a book on his lap. He sighed. Diego would have sent him to bed hours ago, if he had been thinking straight.

Alejandro nudged the boy, and as he woke, he handed him a coffee and a bread roll. Felipe signed, _thanks_, and munched through it as only a teenager could. Alejandro told the boy as clearly as he could that he needed to go to bed, and that he would sit with his son. Felipe looked doubtful, and Alejandro patiently signed clumsily as he repeated his instructions.

_No_, Felipe signed back, clearly. _He needs me_. _He feels so lost._

Alejandro understood, to his private amazement. He repeated the instructions, firmly, and pointed. The boy needed to do what he was told, and Alejandro made it clear to him. There was no uncertainty in his command. Felipe still hesitated, but then nodded and left the room quietly.

"Are you awake, Diego?" Alejandro said softly. He placed the tray down on top of a small dresser, and waited.

"Go away, there is nothing to talk about," Diego growled, from under the blankets.

"She loves you, Diego. I can come straight out and say it, she loves you. She is alive and she loves you. There is a way for this to work. There must be a way," Alejandro said, ignoring his grumpy son. "She is weeping over you as much as you are weeping over her. Come now, there must be a way for you both to talk this through."

"The Al cade will find out somehow, and then we are all at risk. I was going to unmask at the right time. I really was going to." Diego said, lifting the blankets off his head, but he refused to look at his father. Alejandro was pleased though. The day after his wife had died; he was not speaking to anyone. Diego was tougher, thank goodness.

"It is incredibly obvious, if you stop to think about it. You are unusually tall, you have blue eyes, a fine moustache and Zorro was obviously university trained especially in fencing. And those gadgets that appear every now and then, definitely not many people other than you could have constructed them. Even the outfit is made of fine silk. Very expensive, too expensive for anyone other than a caballero. How many young men your age have been to Spain for their education? How many tall and slender? How many with blue eyes and a fine moustache? Not many. Anyone could guess at any time, at any time your life could be over."

"Very encouraging," Diego said, meanly. "A reason not to get married…"

"A reason to grab your life and live it. With the woman you love. You need children, you need to live," Alejandro answered. Diego sat up and looked at his father. For once, the de la Vega temper was put aside for rational discussion.

Alejandro handed him a mug of coffee and smiled. "Your mother and I…We had too few years together. We lived like we would see our grandchildren together, like nothing would ever come to hurt us. Like we had all the time in the world. Zorro is trying to do that. However, in his line of work, he may not have forever to make Victoria wait. Maybe all that you will have is a few years, like your mother and I. Make the few years count. Love and live, and make them last. If Victoria becomes a widow, so be it. But leave her something to look back on with happiness, not with despair. Give her what you both long for. A home together. A family. A corner of peace in this crazy world."

"She slapped me." Diego's hand went to his face. The red mark had gone, but he still remembered the sting, and the agony of facing her red hot rage. "She slapped me."

"Doesn't mean she doesn't love you. Means she's angry. Your mother did the same to me on occasion. When I really deserved it."

"Did I deserve it?"

"Yes, frankly. There are ways to court women, Diego. Zorro was a clumsy attempt to show off, wasn't it? At least with her. You couldn't tell her who you really were? You had plenty of time. Perhaps when you took a breath while kissing her?"

Diego reddened. He knew his manners had been shameful. He had followed his heart and his body had insisted on more and more. He _had _deserved it.

"She loves me?"

"She says she does. Oh, and she says sorry for hitting you. She doesn't know what to do right now. She's sorry. An angry woman is a dangerous thing. To herself and everyone around her."

Alejandro looked at his son. Diego was definitely thinking. If he could keep thinking and not slip into the emotional side again, there would be hope for them.

"What if you had lost her? To death or to another man?" Alejandro said, thinking aloud.

Diego looked at him. "I didn't, did I?"

"Just thinking aloud."

"All I can say, if another man had stolen her, I would have followed them. If she had died, Zorro would have disappeared forever," Diego breathed. "And maybe Diego as well."

Alejandro's face hardened at that. Diego was in complete seriousness. "Go to her when you can. Talk to her. Apologise for keeping this a secret, let her apologise to you. You know, if you both can get past this, your marriage would weather almost anything." He patted his son's arm, and indicated the bread rolls. If his son would eat, then Alejandro knew he could stop fussing with him. Diego shook his head, and Alejandro sighed and smiled. All in good time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The afternoon was warm, and Alejandro had decided he had done all he could with the stubborn youngsters. He took siesta at the appropriate time, resting on his back in the shade of his favourite tree. He was beginning to lose patience, and needed space to think and doze.

Diego ventured out into the hallway. Victoria was down the hall just a little way away. He leant against a wall to think. What did he think? His pride still hurt. His face…well. His pride still hurt. The face was fine. He reached up to feel where she had hit him. All better, apparently. Like it hadn't happened. His heart hurt. The rage in her eyes as she had hit him had hurt him the most.

Diego started to use his logic and reason – the time for emotions was over. She wouldn't have reacted like that if she felt nothing for him. He would have received an icy stare, and she would have turned and strode out the door. She would have never let him see her again. The Escalante temper was legendary. The de la Vega temper was as well. Diego grinned despite himself. What a pair they made! What would their children be like! Children…

He glanced towards the door where Victoria was probably fuming about him. He wanted children, he wanted her. Would she forgive him? Was she still angry? He didn't know if he was brave enough to approach her. She was worse than the Spanish army!

Victoria was sitting on the edge of her bed. She had hit him. On his handsome face. It had felt good at the time. Now she was ashamed of herself. He had done so much for the whole town. He had done so much for her. She put a finger to her lips. He had kissed her, tenderly, and passionately. It had made her imagine a life together with an unknown man. Children running at their feet. Peace in California. A strong and tender man by her side, guiding her, watching her, loving her.

Did he still love her? Alejandro had assured her that Diego worshipped the ground she walked on. That he was heartbroken. Ill with grief that she had rejected him so fiercely.

She hadn't rejected him, she'd never do that. She loved him, she wanted him. Diego de la Vega, the wealthy, self-centred caballero. Not so self-centred, not as cowardly as he had seemed. Cowardly? Maybe, but not as much as he had seemed. She smiled slowly. Zorro was more a coward than Diego. Even though she now knew they were the same man. Zorro, the big hero, had hidden behind a mask. Diego had been brave enough to face the taunts of the whole town, to voice his opinions openly. Not his full opinion, but he still stood for what was right. In the open. Unarmed.

She went to the door of her room, and placed her hand on the door knob. Was she brave enough for the life of Zorro's wife, of Diego's wife? Could she bear the terror of losing him? That was the question she needed to answer for herself. She paused, and felt her heart thudding.

She was an Escalante; the woman had always been tough stock. The man she loved – how could she live another day without him in her arms? Could she bear it if another woman even looked at him? How could she live if he married another, as he surely must. An heir for the de la Vega family was vital. Marriage therefore would be vital. If she didn't marry him, he would be forced to look elsewhere. Someone else to kiss and hold him? Over her dead body!

She turned the knob and strode out of the room with such purpose, that Diego backed up when he saw her.

"Please, I am unarmed, senorita," he said, with a hint of hysterical laughter in his voice. "The sword is in the cave."

Victoria backed him against the wall, and threw her arms around him. Her mouth was on his before he could get a word out. Diego gratefully surrendered to the kiss, and wrapped his arms protectively around her.

Diego took a breath and remembered his father's words. He smiled at the memory. "I am so sorry, my dearest dearest Victoria. I was so afraid of what you would do, what you would say. I couldn't tell you…." He was kissing her again, savouring her closeness, wondering how he ever considered a life without her. His hand was smoothing her hair, caressing her back, pulling her closer to him.

"Ahem…" The pair sprung apart, guiltily.

Alejandro faced them. Siesta was over and he was back home. Momentary rage flickered in his eyes, but softened away as he saw how the couple was acting towards each other.

"Not the way a de la Vega courts his fiancée Diego. Have some decorum and apologise for your forwardness…"

Diego looked sheepishly at Victoria and winked. "Please accept my apologies, Senorita Escalante. I trust I haven't offended you by my indiscretion. Please forgive me."

"Much better," Alejandro said before moving towards the library. "I must hire a chaperone as soon as possible…" The door of the library swung closed behind him.

Victoria started to laugh, and Diego looked curious.

"Perfect Diego. You take the blame for my rashness… Perfect gentleman."

"Of course. I'm a de la Vega. Besides I could have screamed for help, I'm sure."

She whacked him in the shoulder. He responded by holding where she had struck him. "Ow. I am not the strongest man in town, you know. I will be covered in bruises before too long."

"I'm sorry," Victoria said, suddenly ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry for being so angry. You were the last person I expected, but when I thought about it, you were the only one it could have been. I should not have hurt you like that. I would never reject you. I love you."

"Are you sure?" His eyes bored into her, and she nodded. "I myself have never been so sure of anything in my life. I could not live without you."

Diego backed her against the wall, and began to kiss her. Gently, tenderly. The passion was just starting to intensify, when there was a crash.

Shards of a vase were near their feet. Diego glanced up and saw his furious father standing in the doorway to the library.

"That is not how a de la Vega behaves!"

"Yes father. I'm so sorry…Victoria….Father, I'm sorry," Diego faltered, blushing.

Alejandro reached out and pulled Victoria away from arms reach. He glared at Diego. All patience was gone, all tolerance had run out. Diego had pushed his luck far enough, and he knew it.

"Go home, Victoria. Juan will see you safely home. I have to have a few words to my son…"

THE END


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